Making psychotherapy available to all

Howard Hodgkin, Ice, 2013
Courtesy of the Estate of Howard Hodgkin

“My reason for supporting this remarkable organisation may also speak to you: the belief that mental well-being should be available to everyone immaterial of wealth”

— Helena Bonham Carter, CPU London Ambassador

About Us

Since 1969 CPU London has been offering psychoanalytic psychotherapy to anybody who is concerned about their emotional difficulties and is seeking psychotherapy or looking for advice about which kind of psychological help would be best for them.

Our Services

CPU London offers free psychoanalytic psychotherapy to those who cannot afford to pay.

For those who are able to pay something, we charge low fees on a sliding scale.

Images courtesy of Abigail Schama

Support Us

We are an independent charity which is entirely self-funded, we do not receive any statutory support. All our funds are raised through a combination of grants, donations, collaborations and fundraising events.

Photograph by Matt Crockett

A message from CPU London Ambassador

Helena Bonham Carter, CBE

I am an ambassador of CPU. My reason for supporting this remarkable organisation may also speak to you: the belief that mental wellbeing is a right and not a privilege.

For nearly 60 years, CPU has provided free psychoanalytic psychotherapy to Londoners on benefits and low income who otherwise could not afford it.

People travel from 21 boroughs across London to CPU’s home on Prince of Wales Road in Camden. And every year, 150 patients pass through its doors. The model of care is inclusive, progressive and, for those in need, transformative. As one former CPU patient put it; the sessions were not just life changing, but lifesaving.

Yet there are so many more people CPU wants to reach. NHS cuts, the cost-of-living crisis, the toll of the pandemic – mean demand is hurtling upwards. Especially in the most deprived boroughs in the capital.

That’s why I am supporting their fundraising campaign to raise £1.5 million over the next three years to build three more Community Psychotherapy Units in London.

Since 2011, CPU has received no government funding. Its work is only possible thanks to generous donations from people who believe in their mission.

We all have mental health, and we should all have access to mental wellbeing. Please consider supporting CPU. Your contribution, today and in future, will make their vision a reality. Thank you.

Helena Bonham Carter, CBE